LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160725, 11 August 1920, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A civic® has boon received in town t® the effect, that a certain amount; the C| uentity not Mated, of j rivately-mraed. wool will he nllowed to he shipped within the next two or three months. When the laat mail left San Francisco sugar was being retailed at 25 cents (Is Ojdj iier Jb. ‘ Everything else,'’ says a IctWr from San Francisco, “is gradually, very gradually, coming down, and the value of tna good old British sovereign is very slowly going up." The miners engaged at the Taupin Coal Company’s mine averaged good time last week. The only break was that at liotowaro mine, whore a stop-work meeting occupying two hours was held by the men on Tuesday to consider a question of wages. Their grievance was that their increase did not commence with the rise in pay granted to the piecework men. The Pukemiro Coal Company’s, mine was worked all the week, an average output of 500 tons per day . having been maintained. Inquiry has been made as to bow it happened that Large quantities of confectionery were being imported into New Zealand from America, Canada, and England, notwithstanding the fact that these countries wore supposed to bo short of sugar. It is stated that the larger portion of such imports came from America, where the shortage did not appear to be so acute as in England, and that the confectionery imported consisted mostly of chocolates, which did not require nearly so much sugar as other lines. The secretary of the Christchurch branch of the Navy League reported to that body last week that in consequence of what had appeared in English newspapers through the action of the branch, he had received letters from several discharged Navy men who wished to emigrate to Now Zealand. Members expressed the opinion that other branches of the League should be asked to co-op-crate, because it -was possible that tho work of bringing out such men might develop considerably, Jfc was resolved to write to the Prime Minister, asking whether the Government was prepared to assist by immigration subsidies and through the Repatriation. Department. The strict rationing of sugar to wholesale confectioners and biscuit manufactureres has necessitated a certain amount of readjustment work in Auckland factories. One firm, reports the Herald, employing about 100 hands, has lately found it impossible to keep its works •going more than four days a week on the present allotment, and other manufacturers have had to readjust their work, in order to keep their staffs in constant employment. To effect this, they have cut out several confectionery lines which consume a large amount of sugar, concentrating efforts on other varieties of sweets and biscuits that do not take so much. They all state they could _ utilise several tons more sugar each week than tho amount allotted, but they recognise that the authorities are doing their utmost to impose as little hardship as possible. Therefore, the manufacturers are doing their best to co-oper-ate with the Hoard of Trade by making the supplies obtainable go as far as possible. At a meeting of the Hawera Farmers’ Union on Saturday, Mr 1-. Mills, in referring to the wool market, said that the Imperial stores were full of wool, a great deal of (he wool purchased had not yet been lifted, and there was in (he Argentine i>oo,ooo,ooolbs 0 f coarse ■ for which there was no demand. The market, lie said, seemed to liave gone to pieces in a moment. There were two things that were very striking. Though the position of !ho wool market was now so desperate that the Prime Minister thought it necessary to call an urgent, contercncc of those engaged in wool prod action, no diffeience was reported in the price of manufactured _ woollen goods Another point made by Mr Mills”was tlifft they as dairy fanjjfcra should accept the position in regard tc wool as a warning. ’Hie markets in all other respects were excellent, but they had to realise that there was no such thing as certainty. Until the Im-s penial Government had actually purchased their dairy produce they would not know what they were going to get, and men who had purchased land on the assumption that the high prices for produce would ’ last for years were doing nothing less than gambling.

A 9ra at Hosting's Company, drapers, in Sydney, caused damage to the extent- of £IO,OOO. The Australian Mutual Provident Society is investing a million in the new Peace Loan, making the Society’s total in various loans £9,680,000. A Dominion record price for a bullock, £204, was paid at Addington saieyard.', last week. The animal weighed 30561b, A Christchurch telegram states that when ordered to hospital at Culver den on account of sickness, a drover named Stephen Higfasted, belonging to Rotherham, shot himself. At a gathering of citizens at Auckland yesterday a presentation of an ilImninaied address and a cheque for £472 waa made to Mr A. E. Glover, ex-MJ?. for Auckland Central, in recognition -of his public services. Owing to the inability to float a loan in London, the Queensland Government is unablo to proceed with the scheme for settling several thousands or soldiers also the establishment of State iron and steel works. A suggestion was made at the Castle' cliff Town Board meeting last evening that the houses should be numbered, but the general opinion of members was that the time was premature owing to the number of empty sections. The Mexican Embassy announced that troops have been despatched to Lower California for a campaign to subdue the rebel Governor Cantu. Fighting is expected la a week’s time. Chinese and Japanese residents maintain neutrality. Another Southern newspaper is about to suspend operations, the unsatisfactory state jf business Doing chiefly due to the high cost of newsprint. At the annual meetm? of the Bluti Publishing Company, the balance-sheet for the vear ended Aprii 30th. 1920, showed a loss of £154 2s C-d. Liquor smuggling into United States from Canada has reached such proportions that it has developed into large illegal traffic in other commodities. The Customs service is wholly inadequate to meet the situation. A small army is essential to patrol isolated coastal spots, whence there is smuggling from incoming ships and frontier regions. A Wellington association of superannuated public servants was formed on if on day to assist- in a movement to secure superannuation allowances more m line than at present with price levels. Speakers complained that while the cost cf living had gone up on every hand superannuated public servants rc mained in the same position as before the war. A motor car, owned by Mr Frank Laud, skidded on a bark on No. 1 Lino vesterdav. near Marybank. and somersaulted. ’.A passenger was thrown clear but Mr Land was penned underneath. When the car was lifted, it was found that beyond a shaking MiLand had escaped physical injury. The car was towed into town, having sustained to the motive power, Tricdsereon and hood. At a previous meeting of the &ubTTc.incial Executive ot ine banners T’iiion it decided to direct the at.♦.tion ofypLe Board of Trade to the yecent drop in th? price of hides and ihnt apparently no ccrresjKmding drop had u-kcu place in footwear. The Board replied that it was aware that since Mar last then.- had been two labs m the price of leather, amounting to Ga per, ib. The Board added that u was giving this matter close attention. A racmb?r remarked that the price ot loots had n't y.-t dropped. Another member replied that at sente ( -i the sales the ti-kcis m the -hop windows rulitaced that the prices had dropped. r.ilULfalf L‘. i The Auckland Pr-vlivtory last nigh’ decided rha.: it .v.:.-jH.-nd the Bov. A. A. ..rerrav front rn.-n.-i.-ing the right' and prb. ;i-g- of Mu-of the Pro.l.yterian < hurclt *>L New Zealand, and disaolvcs th.- [ .lateral ti- between him and it. Andrew's (Irrreh. The committee which r-'j-ortcd on the subject t •• the I'rcsbvterv stated that for nearly tear it had borne with air Murray In the Iripc that he would take the henourabh coarse -and resign, but Mr Murrac has determined to remain a minister of the Pre.-bytc-rian Church in s-oitc of his declared disbelief in her doctrine and practice in the matter of i aptisii. and of his refusal to baptise children of members of the -r,an-h. He has thus forced hhs brethren to direq)line him. The sub-provincial executive of the Farmers' Union had before it to-day a letter from the Commissioner cf State Forests in regard to opening np the Rawhiteroa State Forest for settlemcntThe writer stated that he was aware of the importance of settlement, but the ultimate success of settlement itself demands that future timber supplies and the conservation of stream flow shonld now be pr-served. Reliable reports show that this reserve is of a very broken and gorgy nature, that reading would be difficult and expensive, that numerous small streams have their sources in the high range which traverses it, and that it carries milling timber. The reserve was a State forest, and in tic near future would lx- brought under systematic management- for the production of timber. Under the circumstances, he regretted that he could not sec his way to alter his previous decision. It was decided to again ask the Commissioner to send a representative to report on the block in company with a settler in the locality. It was suggested by members that so far the Department had oply made a “bird'sevc” inspection of the block. “The stamping of doctors' prescriptions by chemists, which, according to a paragraph in The Post, has come under the notice of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union, deserves more than passing attention," writes “A” in a letter to The Post. “Has a chemist any legal right to label a prescription that he dispenses? Particularly, has ho the right to place on it the price he charges so that no other chemist may subsequently, by inadvertence or good nature, charge a less price? It would seem that this latter practice is only sometimes indulged in by Christchurch chemists. In Wellington and other districts it- is, I hiring, invariable. Lately I have unfortunately had occasion to handle many prescript ions, and can supply yon with a part of the Pharmacy Board's code, V, Is; I, 2s; N, 3s; A, 6fL Yon will probably find, sir, that the last prescription you had made up is labeDed NA somewhere, and you may remember that yon paid Zi Bd to have it *.%ade up. Probably the code will change from the day you publish this. - ’ fever a 1 chemists, on being approached by a Rost reporter regarding - ‘X's” letter, said they had nothing to say beyond that even if the practice did exist- they could see no objection to it, as it was customary in most trades.

A proclamation was published in lasi weed:’a Gazette, taking' four or five acres at Great ford, for the purposes of the Forton-Now Plymouth railway. War gi abilities issued in Australia to the end of July amounted to 124 million, of which two million has been, cashed.

“Tliis ail-sufficing Parliament consists of the member for Kaiapoi and 79 others," was the caustic reference to Mr D. Jones bv Mr Yeitoh in the House last evening, after having impatiently listened to the member for Kaiapoi s homily on taxation, reports our Parliamentary special.

The Hon. N. Nosworthy, Minister of Agriculture, has written to the SubProvmcial Executive of the' Farmers’ Union stating that he will lie pleased to accept an invitation to visit Moumar bald Farm in company with members of the Board of Agriculture, and will notify the Union later when it will be possible for him to make the visit. A letter has been received from a Taihape man who left that township to take the management of a large produce company at Harbin, Manchuria. He says that most things are frightfully dear, but it is truly a most marvellous country and will produce second to no country on earth. It beggars description, and he can only say “marvellous." Conditions are very unsettled, but better times are hoped for.

Information waa applied by the representatives of the contractors to the Borough Council last night as to the position of the new steam plant. The General Electric Company hoped to ship ihcir machinery at due date, while the boilers from England would be shipped in September. Already some small parts of the plant had arrived at Wellington and were being stored there, no room for this purpose being available at Wamranui.

An* invitation was accepted by the Sub-Proviucial Executive of the Farmers ’Union to-day to send a delegate to Palmerston North on August 14 for the purpose of deciding upon the best means of working limestone in the reserve at Manawatu Gorge. The chairman stated that- probably the concession of carting lime free to farmers would bo a I anioned, and that possibly it would lx,- necessary to get agricultural lime nearer at hand. Imports into Wanganui during Hie June quarter were valued at £121,371, showing a big increase over the corresponding quarter for 1919, when their value was £88,573. The value of the purchases made in the various countries were as follows; United Kingdom, £67,366: British possessions in Asia, £1.397; South Africa, £1193; Canada, £1463: Australia, £32,007; Belgium, 2674. Netherlands. £B9: Norway, £193; Sweden, £4666; Japan, £1940: America, £10,014; Pacific Islands, £2OB.

‘Tu my opinion the Council has adopted a left-handed policy," remarked the Mayor at. last night's meeting of the Borough Council in tho course of a discu&ion on the site for ,i power-house. He added that it seemed as if the Council had started on its electrical scheme at the tail end, and was now, at this late hour, getting back to the beginning. He hoped that in any future scheme all the details would be first worked out and plans completed before laying the proposals before the ratepayers. The Mavnr is moving in the direction of Having an electric power board iteabhshcd ter Wanganui and district. Ho slated to the Borough Council last u’ght that he had been advised that it van impracticable for the Borough Council to .supply electricity to sub-

urban and district local bodies, and that a power board representative of the area to bo reticulated would have to i.-c formed before anything rise was done. He was obtaining all the necessary information which ho would place before Co* Council as soon as possible. When the board had been formed, he understood. it would lake over tho plant and the Council would obtain its electrical requirements from it.